Skill: Finance and Operations X++ Development

Critical safety rules — read first

1. Windows only. pac tool xpp install and pac package compile --package-type erp require Windows. Do not invent a Linux/macOS or SDK-based fallback.
2. Confirm the target before any deploy or DB sync. Show the Dataverse environment URL, obtain explicit confirmation, then run pac org who --environment <url> and verify both the Dataverse URL and linked ERP URL/version.
3. Never assume Full DB sync. Although standalone pac package db-sync defaults to Full, require the user to choose Full, Module, or Incremental when the request is ambiguous.
4. Do not call deployment successful until PAC reaches a successful terminal state. Preserve and report the async operation ID on failure.
5. Do not overwrite existing models or source files. Inspect .erp/xpp.json, descriptors, and target metadata paths before scaffolding or editing.
6. Pin every runtime surface before ERP verification. PAC and the Dataverse CLI have separate active profiles. Before any dataverse ... --target erp check, require dataverse auth who and dataverse org who --json to match the confirmed Dataverse and linked ERP URLs. Validate ERP MCP according to its transport: direct HTTP must target <erp-url>/mcp; an stdio proxy must receive the base <erp-url> and route effectively to /mcp. Profile selection does not retarget an existing MCP connection.
7. Treat runtime verification as possible data mutation. After the separate post-deployment opt-in, inspect the X++ implementation, disclose exact test inputs and expected mutations, and obtain confirmation for those inputs and effects. Do not apply a generic test matrix to non-idempotent operations.
8. All additional validation after an ERP X++ package deployment is opt-in. After pac package deploy --package-type erp, capture PAC's terminal result, then ask whether the user wants any further validation and which checks to run. Do not query the async operation, execute an X++ artifact, query its ERP entity, or test its security unless selected. For runtime validation, confirm exact inputs, success criteria, and failure criteria; never invent values or execute an unapproved failure path. This rule is scoped to ERP X++ package deployment, not Dataverse solution ALM.

PAC CLI is the managed surface for the X++ lifecycle. Do not replace these commands with raw Dataverse APIs, direct calls to the ERP sidecar, LCS upload automation, or hand-written compiler invocations.

Intent routing

User intent	Action
Create an ERP package/model	pac package init --package-type erp
Install compiler metadata for an environment	pac tool xpp install
Check/remove local SDKs	pac tool xpp list / pac tool xpp uninstall
Compile or build X++	pac package compile --package-type erp
Deploy one prebuilt ZIP	pac package deploy --package-type erp --package <zip>
Deploy all models in a repo	pac package deploy --package-type erp --solution-root <root>
Run DB sync only	pac package db-sync
Create an ERP custom service	Author its X++ class/contracts plus AxService and AxServiceGroup metadata, then compile and deploy
Create an ERP ICustomAPI action	Author an ICustomAPI class, action menu item, and privilege/duty/role security, then compile, deploy, DB-sync when required, and verify through ERP MCP
Author, compile, deploy, and verify	Follow End-to-end workflow

There is no pac package build or top-level pac xpp command. For ERP, pac package compile --package-type erp compiles labels and X++, runs best-practice checks, and builds deployable managed ZIPs.

Skill boundaries

Need	Use instead
Connect/authenticate, install or update PAC CLI	dv-connect
Read or analyze ERP business data	dv-query
Create/update/delete ERP business records or import DMF data	dv-data
List/cancel ERP batch jobs	dv-admin
Dataverse solution ALM	dv-solution
ERP UI personalization, workflow editing, or environment lifecycle	Finance and Operations UI / Power Platform admin tooling; not covered

Preflight

1. Confirm Windows.
2. Run pac and inspect its banner; pac --version is invalid. These commands require the PAC CLI .NET tool version 2.11.1 or later.
3. Run pac package help and pac tool xpp help. If compile, db-sync, or tool xpp is absent, load dv-connect and update to the latest .NET tool installation before continuing.
4. For environment operations, run:

pac auth list
pac org who --environment <dataverse-url>

The output must identify the confirmed Dataverse environment and include a linked ERP URL/version. Do not substitute the ERP URL for --environment; PAC accepts the Dataverse URL and resolves ERP linkage.

5. Before runtime verification through the Dataverse CLI or ERP MCP, run:

dataverse auth who
dataverse org who --json \
  --context "app=dataverse-skills/<ver>;skill=erp-xpp;agent=<agent>"

Require the selected CLI profile's environment URL and returned erpUrl to match the PAC target confirmed above. If they do not, run dataverse auth select --name <profile-name>, then repeat both checks. Pass --environment <dataverse-url> on commands that support it, but never treat that option as a substitute for selecting the correct profile; some ERP data commands have no environment override.

For ERP MCP verification, inspect the active server configuration. Require direct HTTP to use the confirmed <erp-url>/mcp, or require an stdio proxy such as dataverse mcp to receive the confirmed base <erp-url> and use its effective /mcp endpoint. If it differs, stop and reconnect or reinitialize the matching ERP MCP server before discovery or invocation.

Before every MCP runtime invocation, establish a fresh transport-specific session and verify its caller through an MCP-originated identity/current-session check. dataverse auth who proves only the CLI identity. If MCP cannot prove its caller, do not invoke through that session. For security acceptance, the proven caller must be the intended non-administrator test user.

6. Before a first SDK install, explain that it downloads roughly 4 GB and expands to roughly 16 GB under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Dynamics365\<version>\PackagesLocalDirectory.

Command quick reference

# Scaffold one or more models
pac package init --outputDirectory <root> --package-type erp \
  --model <ModelA,ModelB> --publisher <publisher> --layer ISV

# SDK lifecycle
pac tool xpp install --environment <dataverse-url>
pac tool xpp list
pac tool xpp uninstall --version <four-part-version>

# Compile/build all configured models
pac package compile --solution-root <root> --package-type erp \
  --app-version <four-part-version> --language en-US

# Compile one model during the edit loop
pac package compile --solution-root <root> --package-type erp \
  --model <ModelName> --app-version <four-part-version> \
  --language en-US --incremental

# Deploy one compiled package, without DB sync
pac package deploy --environment <dataverse-url> --package-type erp \
  --package <root>/bin/<Model>_<version>_managed.zip \
  --build-type Full --release-type Dev --db-sync None \
  --logConsole --logFile <deployment-log-path>

# Deploy every model in .erp/xpp.json in dependency order
pac package deploy --environment <dataverse-url> --package-type erp \
  --solution-root <root> --build-type Full --release-type Dev \
  --db-sync None --logConsole --logFile <deployment-log-path>

Use explicit values rather than relying on defaults in automation. Full argument tables and DB-sync rules are in references/commands.md.

Authoring X++ source

The repo root contains .erp/xpp.json; source defaults to src/. Each model has a descriptor and metadata under:

<root>/
  .erp/xpp.json
  src/<Model>/Descriptor/<Model>.xml
  src/<Model>/<Model>/AxClass/<Class>.xml

Run pac package init instead of hand-writing the descriptor/config. Add metadata files surgically after inspecting existing paths. PAC compiles and packages authored metadata; it does not scaffold custom services, ICustomAPI actions, or data entities. For runnable classes, labels, custom services, ICustomAPI actions, public OData data entities, and artifact-specific verification, use references/authoring.md.

Compile/build rules

• A normal compile runs labels -> X++ -> best-practice checks -> deployable ZIP.
• Use --incremental only for the edit loop. Run a non-incremental compile before a final deployment.
• Do not use --skip-bp unless the user explicitly requests it and understands the reduced validation.
• If multiple SDKs are installed, pass --app-version; otherwise PAC may reject ambiguous selection.
• Treat Compile summary: ... failed or any nonzero exit as failure even if a ZIP already exists from an earlier run.
• Verify the output ZIP was produced by the current run under <root>/bin/.
• If label compilation reports XPPLC2010 and PAC fails despite exit code 0 from LabelC, add a valid label resource; do not delete logs or bypass the stage.

Deploy and DB-sync rules

• Deploy-only means --db-sync None.
• --build-type controls how the server applies the package: Full, Incremental, or Delete; it is not a local build command.
• --release-type Dev is the normal test/development choice. Release forces Full DB sync server-side when a sync is requested.
• Delete ignores DB-sync settings.
• Single-package deployment uses --package <zip>. Solution-mode deployment omits --package, reads .erp/xpp.json, topologically orders models, deploys them, then runs one requested DB sync.
• PAC injects fnomoduledefinition.json into the ZIP at deploy time. Copy the artifact first if an immutable checksum must be retained.
• Standalone DB sync and deploy-with-sync are separate supported workflows; never redeploy merely to satisfy a DB-sync-only request.

See references/workflows.md for compile-only, deploy-only, DB-sync-only, multi-model, and full lifecycle sequences. Apply the success gates, diagnostics flow, and error mappings in references/validation.md to every compile, deployment, DB sync, and runtime verification.

End-to-end workflow

For “make this X++ change and deploy it”:

1. Inspect the repo and preserve existing work.
2. Confirm model/class names, publisher, and layer before scaffolding a new model.
3. Run pac package init --package-type erp only when the model does not exist.
4. Add or edit the requested X++ metadata, such as classes, contracts, custom services, service groups, ICustomAPI actions and security, public data entities, and required labels.
5. Confirm/authenticate the target environment and verify ERP linkage/version.
6. Install or reuse the matching SDK.
7. Compile non-incrementally and require zero compile errors. Address best-practice warnings unless the user accepts them.
8. Deploy with explicit build/release/DB-sync modes.
9. Capture PAC's exit code, async operation ID, terminal state, and DB-sync result as part of the deployment command. Do not run additional validation automatically.
10. Ask whether the user wants post-deployment validation and which checks they authorize: async-operation re-query, API/action discovery, runtime behavior, data-entity query, multiple-case testing, and/or security acceptance. Earlier deployment approval and selection of one check do not authorize another.
11. If all validation is declined, report the PAC deployment result and state that no additional validation was performed. If runtime validation is selected, inspect only the deployed custom artifact and its contract, then ask for each required input plus the expected success and failure criteria. Repeat exact values or criteria already in the prompt for confirmation; never invent or broaden them.
12. For selected runtime checks, pin the Dataverse CLI profile and transport-specific ERP MCP target to the confirmed environment, then verify only the approved artifact:

• Runnable class: open https://<erp-host>/?mi=SysClassRunner&cls=<ClassName>.
• Custom service: inspect the X++ implementation for side effects before invoking erp:<ServiceGroup>/<Service>/<Operation> with dataverse api invoke --target erp --context "app=dataverse-skills/<ver>;skill=erp-xpp;agent=<agent>"; use list/describe only for discovery.
• ICustomAPI action: if discovery was selected, use ERP MCP api_find_actions to validate its action menu item and contract. If execution was selected, invoke only approved inputs using the confirmed source contract or approved discovery result, then compare every returned property and expected mutation with the observed result.
• Public OData data entity: if discovery was selected, inspect it with dataverse data describe --target erp. If query execution was selected, query the confirmed entity set with dataverse data query --target erp. Add --context "app=dataverse-skills/<ver>;skill=erp-xpp;agent=<agent>" to each command that runs.
• Security acceptance: only when runtime execution and security acceptance were both selected, invoke the approved case as a non-administrator test user assigned the intended custom role. Administrator execution is diagnostic only and does not validate the privilege/duty/role chain.

13. Report the package path, environment, async operation ID, terminal status, DB-sync mode, the validation checks accepted or declined, and results only for checks actually performed.

Common mistakes — do not use these

Wrong	Correct
pac xpp install	pac tool xpp install
pac xpp compile	pac package compile --package-type erp
pac package build	pac package compile --package-type erp
pac package deploy --package-type xpp	--package-type erp
Passing the ERP URL to --environment	Pass the linked Dataverse URL
Omitting --package for one ZIP	Add --package <zip>
Adding --package for repo-wide deployment	Omit it and use --solution-root
pac package db-sync --db-sync None	None is deploy-only; standalone modes are Full, Module, Incremental
Module sync without --modules	Add --modules ModelA,ModelB
Incremental sync without --argument-file	Add a valid IncrementalSyncParameters JSON file